Climate warming and nutrient enrichment destabilize plankton network stability over the past century

Abstract Global warming and anthropogenic activities have profoundly altered biodiversity and the stability of aquatic ecosystems. However, the underlying driving mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the temporal patterns of biodiversity and community stability over the past centur...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Siwei Yu, Xiaofeng Cao, Pengfei Chen, Yaping Liu, Gaoqi Duan, Weixiao Qi, Jianfeng Peng, Huijuan Liu, Jiuhui Qu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Communications Earth & Environment
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02206-3
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Summary:Abstract Global warming and anthropogenic activities have profoundly altered biodiversity and the stability of aquatic ecosystems. However, the underlying driving mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the temporal patterns of biodiversity and community stability over the past century by constructing 29 temporal planktonic network models. These models were based on the sedimentary DNA (sedDNA) extracted from downcore sediments of Lake Chagan, a seasonally frozen lake in Northeastern China, using high-throughput sequencing techniques. Our findings identified the mid-1990s as a critical tipping point, marked by substantial shifts in nutrient levels and annual average temperatures. We demonstrated that the temporal network stability of plankton communities was predominantly compromised by climate warming, followed by nutrient enrichment. This study highlights the intricate interplay between biotic and abiotic factors that determine the stability of aquatic ecological networks, which has important implications for the management and conservation of freshwater ecosystems facing ongoing climate warming.
ISSN:2662-4435